What He Cares About Most
by WingardiumLeviosa86
Summary: There is a substitute Potions teacher, who makes the seventh-years do an activity in which you write down what you care about the most. Lily is partnered with James...


**My first fanfiction! Please review, because it would be nice to know how good I am. I have no idea, so tell me! Check out my other fanfics too, which I will be posting soon.**

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I sighed as I walked into Potions class. Jonas Parkinson had Transfigured Matthew Spinnet's shoes into lizards, and I had taken ten points from Slytherin and given him detention. I tried to Transfigure the lizards back, but not before one had run off into the Astronomy Tower. I had spent most of the morning chasing it and as a result, had not eaten breakfast. The whole thing wouldn't have been half as bad is I hadn't run into Potter on the way to give Matthew his shoe.

"Whoa, there, Lily! You trying to run a marathon?"

"Just shove off, Potter, and leave me alone."

"Rude, are you feeling?" inquired James.

"Move it. I have to go to Potions."

"Well, I'm going there too. I'll walk you."

"I need to give Matthew his shoe back."

"I can wait."

"Go. Away."

"No." I glared at James, then walked away to give back the shoe I was holding. When I returned, he was still there. I ignored him, or at least attempted to, as he kept an increasingly annoying one-sided conversation going while they trekked down to the dungeons.

"Hullo, Professor Slug-" I greeted and then stopped. "Oh. Erm, hello. Where's Professor Slughorn?"

There was a short little witch at the front grinning broadly at us. "Welcome, welcome everyone! My name is Martha Splitschinger, but please, call me Marthy!" she said, bouncing. "Your regular Potions teacher, Professor Slugfest, as I understand has unexpectedly taken slightly ill and will be returning tomorrow, so don't you worry! Unfortunately, he has not left any plans for me, so…"

So you may brew any potion you like? Please sit quietly for the remainder of class? I'll assign you a potion to make?

"…we'll play a getting to know you game! Doesn't that sound fun?"

Sirius Black had a "you've got to be kidding!" look and Peter Pettigrew was shaking his head frantically at Remus Lupin, mouthing something that looked like, "RED ALERT!"

She took the seventh-year class's shocked silence to be agreement. "No objections? Excellent! Let's get started!"

Lily picked up a piece of parchment and scribbled on it. She slid it across the desk.

_Who does she think we are, first years? -LE_

_I don't know. I doubt even firsties would enjoy this. -EV_

_This sucks. -AG_

_What do we do? -LE_

_Let me think... -EV_

But sadly, we were interrupted from our plotting by Professor what's-her-name Smiley.

"Okay, everybody! Now, write down the top five things you care about. Then you try and guess what you're partner wrote, and see if you got it! Right now, five minutes to write it down."

I made a face, but reluctantly pulled out my quill. For number one.. My family? But really, I despise Petunia, and I never knew my father. My mother and I have never been very close. So, how about Hogwarts? I mean, it's magic school! How can you not love it? Then, friends. Alice and Emma have been my only sources of salvation some days. Next, I suppose, my mom. After that, my room at home. It is the best room EVER. Not kidding. Last would be books. I couldn't live a day without them, let alone a lifetime!

_1. Hogwarts_

_2. Friends_

_3. Mum_

_4. Room_

_5. Books_

"I'll be choosing your partners! No complaining or switching! Rohith Patil and Emmeline Vance!" With a grimace, my best friend Emma dropped down beside Rohith. "Sirius Black and Geraldine Abbott! Robert MacMillan and Susan Bones! Frank Longbottom and Alice Griffiths!" Alice, my other BFF, blushed and looked pleased. "Remus Lupin and Linda Thomas! James Potter and Lily Evans!"

I froze. No. Bloody. Way. ABSOLUTELY NOT. "No, Professor, please?" I begged. But it was hopeless. She just waved me off and went on to ruining other people's lives.

I was so lost in my anger that I didn't notice Potter until he calmly suggested, "Reckon we should guess what we wrote, yeah?"

"You first," I ordered dully.

"One, Hogwarts. Two, your grades. Three, your family. Four, your friends. Five, studying." I gaped at him. "I take that to mean I'm totally wrong?"

I unglued my mouth and gasped out, "No, not exactly." Then I shoved my list at him.

"Blimey, I was close! Hey Padfoot, ten galleons!" he shouted to Sirius. "Your turn."

"Eh..." Now that I brought my mind to it, I couldn't actually remember Potter caring about anything. He was always careLESS. "Troublemaking. Quidditch. Marauders. Annoying the teachers. Beating Snape," I guessed.

"No," he replied uncomfortably. "Five is attention, actually. My parents are top Aurors and they always have to go somewhere for top-secret business. They've been leaving me alone since I was fourteen. It just seemed like.. They never had time for me. I'm not important enough."

Wow. I never knew Ja- Potter could actually feel that way. "I'm sure you're very important to them," I stupidly said. No, no, bugger! Do NOT reassure Jame- Potter!

"Four- you were mostly right. Quidditch. Three- friends, yes, I guess you got that too. Marauders. Two is my family, because last year something happened and I realized, well, they really do love me." His voice cracked and for a moment I felt genuinely sorry for him, but then I reminded myself that you did not feel sorry for your archenemy.

"And one?" I prodded.

"One," James repeated softly. "One is you, Lily."

No. My brain had stopped working. Why was life going on? The world should be a big ball of flames already. Because, I, me, plain Lily Evans was what James Potter cared about most in his entire life.

"I love you, and I have ever since I saw you six years ago. I hope you're okay with that." Then he slowly leaned forward and I didn't realize he was doing it until it was already over and it was so quiet and peaceful and lovely and oh my god HE KISSED ME.

My whole head was completely numb. Then a thought seeped through to me: While it was crazy and awkward and weird, it was... nice. I LIKED IT.

So then, like the utterly insane idiot I was, I gently pressed my lips to his again and murmured, "I am."

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**Yay the end. I hope you like it, I know it's not very long.**


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